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2014-08-28 - Hopeless
New York in the morning... less hot than New York in the afternoon, but there's little other difference. The parks are cooler, as are a few shopping quads that have their own park-spaces, and it's in one of the latter on the edge of Bushwick that Chenda has set up her latest performance. Aside from the small crowd, nobody'd notice anything unusual about the dark-haired, dark-skinned girl in denim and tee, overlaid with a violet hoodie embroidered with a few black moons and stars. She's just finishing up now, sticking with simple street magic that doesn't involve many props, and strictly kid-friendly illusions. "Does anybody have a hundred-dollar bill?" Laughter, but no bills are forthcoming."Maybe a fifty? Twenty? Ten?" Nothing, save a little more laughter. "Just a quarter, then? Pretty-please? For a magician that hasn't had lunch yet?" Laughter, then some generous soul steps forward and offers one of Washington's most common portraits, in silver and nickel. "Oh, thank you so much!" Chenda gushes. She flips the coin in the air triumphantly and quite visibly catches it... and a funny look crosses her face. She looks into her hands, the holds them up. Empty! "I'm sorry... I can never hang on to money for very long," she confesses. In the crowd is a small group of kids with trouble on their minds. They appear to be in a huddle discussing something with almost criminal intensity and handing a water baloon back and forth amongst themselves. One of the heads pops up, looks at the stage magician, and takes the balloon with an evil grin. There's also a medium height gothic chick with a slightly dreamy smile on her face, watching the show with idle wonder. Doesn't seem to be planning to pay any time soon, not approaching the stage, but she does glance over at the kids. Her eyes narrow and she gives them a glare that screams 'babysitter experience'. While she doesn't acknowledge the small crowd of would-be critics, Chenda does catch sight of them as she looks mock-embarrassedly around the crowd, as if searching for the missing quarter. Her eyes linger on them for only a moment. She pauses and moves to speak to a little boy at the front who's been watching with rapt attention. His eyes widen as the lovely magician comes his way. "Excuse me, young man... have you seen my quarter?" He shakes his head in the negative, looking a little sorry to be answering that way. "No... no, /ma'am/," he adds, at a nudge from his mother. Chenda moves on, speaking to two more children that way. None has seen the quarter. "Well, this is embarrassing... oh, wait!" She hurries back to her spot, picking up a battered purple gearslinger from a bench and reaching inside. She fishes out a small box and turns to the crowd again, working to open it. It's held shut by a complicated mix of rubber bands. "Sorry, this might take a second." Nico Minoru strides through the crowd into the group of potential hoodlums and can be heard in the background, her voice intentionally low but audible. 'Don't you dare, I will personally drag your pants up over your ears and tie them to your hair if you don't drop that right now'. She sounds like she means it, and likely has done that kind of thing before. Of course, New York kids are fearless and she gets the water balloon right in the chest as the kids laugh and run out of the crowd. Nico chooses not to yell after them, grinding her teeth instead. Don't want to ruin the lady's show. Even with a white t-shirt. While she keeps up her line of patter, Chenda can't help but notice when the Asian girl moves to intercept the hoodlums. She's stealing glances at the impending altercation as she works on the box. *SPLATCH!* Oops... bad time to be wearing a white tee. Chenda's dark eyes soften in sympathy, but, seeing a few heads turning in the direction of the girl, she quickly turns up her own volume and continues the show. "Next time, I'm just buying a padlock! This is a pain in the... oh! Here we go!" She slides off the last rubber band and opens the box. And inside is the quarter! She holds it up and smiles winningly, presenting it to the original contributor. "That's why I can't hold on to money. I'm in too big of a hurry to get it to the bank," she says, gesturing to the black lettering on the box that reads 'BANK'. Laughter, applause, and coins begins hitting the concrete around her. "Thank you! I'll be back at noon!" she promises, taking a bow... There's a soft popping sound, and Chenda's cheeks flush, though she keeps that professional smile on her face. Though she's suddenly glad to have kept her back to a big, curved planter... She straightens as the crowd begins to thin out, offering the Japanese girl a quick smile and gesturing her to come here. Blushing cheeks have appeared in a few places, and the asian girl gives the magician an honest look of appreciation. She covered her chest with her arms rather quickly after the incident, causing a few older guys to look a little harder, but most of the crowd was distracted by the stage act. Nico walks up to the girl and sighs gently, keeping her arms across her front. "I...uh," she says, blushing a bit more on her pale cheeks. "Did they get you too? I thought I saw something." Chenda shakes her head, shrugging out of her hoodie and offering it to the other girl. "That was brave of you; I saw the water balloon," she says gratefully. "I totally owe you one for that." The question draws a matching blush and an embarrassed giggle. "No... too many donuts got me, probably," she replies, gesturing to the back of her jeans. "Can you help me pick up my earnings? I can't really turn around right now..." Nico Minoru bites her glossy lower lip to keep from giggling at Richenda's embarrassed admission. She lifts her skirt enough to let herself get down to the ground and starts picking up coins, glancing over Richenda's outfit. "I've got a sewing kit on me actually, if we could find a place you don't mind being pantsless for five," she suggests. She picks up a dime and rolls her eyes, as if commenting on cheap audiences. She stands up, bending to get a few dollars that rolled under a bench. "You did a good job, by the way. I like a good, ngh, magic show why do they always roll under the most annoying places?" "I'll bet a few of these shops have dressing rooms," Chenda suggests as she kneels as well, wincing as she hears more stitches give way. "That is totally generous of you. If you don't mind sewing, I don't mind standing around in my bloomers while you do." She plucks a few coins out of a crack in the paving stones, then blinks as Nico stands and bends nearly right in front of her. "Thanks! I like a good show, too," she replies teasingly. "Occasionally I can put on a good exhibition, like today, but it's all preparation, really. Once that's done, I just have to hold their interest." Nico Minoru adjusts her top and slips into the hoodie, not having realized she'd given away the goods by bending over the way she did. Actually didn't, but she says, "I could use a chance to dry off a bit," mumbling as she hands over the coins she's collected. "So no actual magic? I could have sworn it was the same coin that came out of the box, up there." "We could stop by a restroom after," the magician suggests. "Or now? They all have electric hand dryers now. I could dry out your shirt while you sew up my pants? What do you think, um... actually, we kinda forgot to introduce ourselves," she realizes, and giggles. She accepts the coins and offers a smile. "I'm Chenda! Actually /Ri/chenda, but nobody calls me that for long. Who's this wonderful person who saved me from a bath?" Nico Minoru motions toward a nearby shop. "Pretty sure I can convince someone to loan us a room when they hear the issue," she says as she glances back at Richenda's sewing malfunction. She offers a hand though, slender fingers with some callouses. "Nico Minoru. Runaway goth and seamstress for hire. No charge today. And no, I'm not kidding and if you know anyone who needs sewing done cheap I need to eat too." "Totally cool to meet you, Nico." Chenda takes the offered hand, betraying some interesting callouses of her own, and blushes a little more when Nico peeks at the problem. Since that means seeing the hints of purple and black showing through the open seat seam of her jeans. "Um, could you stay behind me while we go there?" she asks, catching up her gearslinger. "Maybe walk a little closer? Like right behind me?" Nico Minoru laughs, an easy laugh that sounds faintly tired. "If you've got everything," she glances about quickly, then nods and moves into place giving Chenda a little kiss on the cheek in passing. She puts her hands on Richenda's shoulders from behind and marches with her to the doorway, making no pretense about the whole deal. "Ten-hut! For'ard, march!" To the door and inside, she makes a show of military precision as she brings the pair to the desk. Chenda's cheek is warm under the Japanese girl's lips, and steady as well. Either she doesn't mind the kiss, or she was too surprised to pull away. Either way, she doesn't stop blushing, but she does laugh at Nico's militantly obvious coverage, making her own progress marchworthy and steady. Of course, she has to stop when they reach the desk. After all, there's no marching through it! "Um, 'scuse me... we kinda have a problem," she says to the person at the service counter. "Do you have a restroom we could use? With a hand dryer?" Nico Minoru doesn't push, she lets Richenda stop before walking into the till. She does add, "Some kids outside decided that my white t-shirt was a grand target for a water balloon," and she looks properly chagrined, allowing the distraction from Richenda's bum. "Also need to fix a seam, if that's alright." She pulls out her portable sewing kit to add to the veracity of the claim. The lady behind the counter motions to a back room. "We normally prefer one at a time in there, don't take any merchandise with you unless you're hoping to buy, alright?" Good enough for her, Nico gives the warmest smile she can manage and nods. Chenda nods along with Nico's words, a better argument than she could ever make herself. "We do plan to buy," she promises, her smile grateful and warm as Nico's. "But the shopping can come later. Fixing and drying now. Thank you!" She's careful to let Nico fall in behind her before she turns and moves to slip into the indicated room. Inside, she finds they're in a short hallway, one door immediately to the left and two more further away on the right. "One's open... bet that's our restroom. Forward, Sergeant?" she teases. Nico Minoru rolls her eyes. She gives a small squeeze to Richenda's shoulders, then pauses and says, "Jeez, tense much. Ow." She squeezes once more, then releases the shoulders and pushes the girl into a room. The sound of a baby crying from down the hall is dimmed slightly by the door. "Guessing we're not the first to do this here. Anyway. Gimme pants, let me work some magic." Nico motions down and snaps her fingers. "Don't worry, I'm not here to get into them. Or something. I mean, um..." "I'm tense?" Chenda blinks and touches her shoulders. "I am. Sorry." She makes sure the door is shut behind them and sets down her gearslinger. "Pants, coming up. Or maybe the word is off..." She balances easily on one foot to unlace her red hi-top, then slips it off, setting it down and switching feet. And then Nico speaks those words. She has to giggle. "Freudian slip? Wait, it didn't look to me like you were wearing a slip," she teases, unbuttoning her jeans and beginning to wriggle out of them. Nico Minoru shakes her head, adding, "Until the day society decides that we don't have to wear these things," she points at her bra strap through her shirt, "we'll have tension. Translation: it comes of having boobs. Didn't realize I'd, y'know. Random wet t-shirt contest." Nico smiles and tugs her skirt lines straight. "How about I stop talking and get sewing, alright? My mouth seems to have awkward instead of normal-word." "Actually, health professionals recommend wearing them, no matter what society says. Tissue damage from swaying gets pretty ugly," Chenda replies, though she does smile almost apologetically. "Not that I can't see what you mean. Shouldn't you get your shirt off so I can dry it with the hand dryer?" She finishes getting her jeans off and holds them up to look at the split seam herself. "Ouch. Yup, cut down on the donuts, carny girl," she muses, and passes them over to Nico. "My show's over, Nico. It's all yours now," she says, fussily straightening her black and purple striped high-cut briefs. Nico Minoru shrugs out of the hoodie almost absentmindedly as she gets reminded to do so. "Sorry, I...right." She pulls off the tee as well, trading garment for garment, and adjusts her bra strap as she eyes the pants. "You were going to lose this eventually actually, they used low count fabric. It's going to leave a visible seam," she mumbles as she threads her needle and puts her extra thread in her mouth. Sits down on the bench with her top off, wearing a white cotton sports bra that was designed to not be visible through the t-shirt. She's a little thin; doesn't eat enough. Focuses pretty good though, getting right in on the problem. "The perils of buying pants on the cheap," Chenda laments, nodding. "I'm suddenly glad I didn't waste any embroidery on them. A visible seam is acceptable, though. Visible undies are not. Well, 'cept for now," she amends, glancing at herself and Nico and giggling amusedly as she accepts the tee. Setting her gearslinger on the floor under the dryer, she lays the tee over it and turns on the hot air. Nico Minoru isn't talking at the moment, her mumbling around her needle in her teeth nearly unrecognizable as she turns the pants inside-out and works from there. Takes her a few minutes and the conversation lags a bit, but she does eventually get a seam that will hold and uses up most of her spool. While working she does mention, "They're nice," kind of distractedly. Shaking the pants out, she inspects her work critically. "To hide, and with which to tease the eye, clothing fit for the one it protects. Do you have any idea how much clothing does for the figure? Seriously, you just can't match a well chosen outfit for eye candy." "The jeans or the panties?" Chenda asks, blushing a little but giggling amusedly as well. She turns the tee over, so it'll dry evenly on both sides, tapping the dryer button for the fifth time. "And I dunno, Nico. Sometimes a great 'do can draw the eye, too. Or just a good figure in general, which is a great excuse to go out and exercise." Then Nico feels hands slip onto her shoulders. "Wow... you're tense, too," Chenda says softly. "Can't let you go out onto the shop floor like that, not after you've helped me so much." And she begins to gently massage the Asian girl's shoulders, if Nico will ler her. Nico stiffens just a little when she feels hands on her shoulders, having been focusing down on the sewing. She blushes and mumbles thanks, looking into her lap and letting her hands sit in her skirts. She really was tense, having been pretty tied up about a lot of worries when she came to the magic show. After a moment, she says, "Aw, fuck it all," and leans her head back, trying to lift a hand to pull 'Chenda's lips down to hers. "These are some serious knots you're in," Chenda murmurs, working strong but gentle hands over Nico's shoulders and the base of her neck. "Are you worried about something, Nico? Maybe I could help. Or at least try... I'm good at trying. Not so good at suc... /oumm/?" The last is a surprised sound, uttered as her own lips are drawn down to Nico's! Chenda stiffens a little, dark eyes widening, but after a moment she relaxes, her hands stilling for a long moment as she returns the kiss. Nico Minoru seems a little surprised that Richenda relaxes, actually. She opens her lips a little, murmuring into the awkward kiss, and stops tugging at 'Chenda's head. Strokes her hair out of her forehead a little, gently, and mumbles, "Sorry," into her lips as she turns in the chair a little. Chenda doesn't pull away, except to draw their lips apart for a breath when she feels Nico begin to turn. She slowly lowers herself to sit on the bench next to Nico. "Why?" she asks softly, dark eyes warm as she looks at the other girl. Nico Minoru puts her fingers back into her lap, leaning back a little. She lets one hand drift into Chenda's lap, just placing a hand there. "Lack of warning? Felt a need to apologize? Pick something and shut me up, I talk way too much when there's a beautiful person in front of me." She bites her lower lip again, wondering for a moment how long this one will last. Feeling a hand slip into her lap, Chenda reaches down and clasps it, squeezing. "It was a very nice kiss. There was no need to apologize," she says. "There /was/ a lack of warning, but sometimes surprises are nice. All in all, I won't complain. And I like it when you talk. You have a nice voice." Nico blushes a little, though who'd notice with the ongoing flush on her cheeks already. "Helps that you have really nice breath," she says leaning to...just lean against Richenda for a moment. "Random girl drags you into a washroom and takes off your pants, sounds like the plot to one of ...never mind." She giggles a little bit, looking into 'Chenda's eyes like they're the most fascinating thing. "I should get to New York more often." "Breath Savers for the win," Chenda says, giggling and slipping her arms around Nico supportively. "And as it is, between us we're wearing one entire outfit and two sets of underthings. Besides, you dragged me in here and took my pants off so you could fix them, and fix them very well, I might add." She reaches up and brushes a lock of Nico's hair out of her eyes, meeting her gaze warmly. "New York's a great place to make friends," she agrees. "And occasionally get kissed."